The BEST of Lifelube - "LifeLube is birthed!" From Monday, August 13, 2007

So, what is it about anal sex?

[From our friends atMen Seeking Men - New Zealand]



Why is anal sex risky for HIV infection?

Anal sex is extremely risky for HIV infection because of the way the inside of your arse works. Cum that goes in is absorbed directly into the bloodstream through the lining of the arse. That part of your body isdesigned to absorb moisture rapidly – which is why medicines aresometimes administered anally.
The moist lining of inside your arse also acts as a major reservoir for HIV. This affects the transmission of the virus in both directions - for the guy doing the penetrating as well as the guy being penetrated.
Australian research has shown that up to one in five men who got HIV through unprotected anal sex was only ever a Top.
If you have anal sex without a condom HIV can enter the end of your dick during sex and cause infection (just like sexually transmitted infections such as gonorrhoea). If you’re uncut, delicate areas on the inside of your foreskin can also trap the HIV virus and allow it to enter your body.
It is sometimes suggested that anal sex always causes injury, resulting in cum mixing with blood. Wrong. Careful penetration is unlikely to harm you.

What about oral sex?

Sucking dick isn’t a high-risk activity for HIV because the lining of the mouth is strong, and saliva also contains protective properties.
Pre-cum – the clear fluid that oozes out when you’re very horny – can contain HIV but only in quantities so small they’re not considered to be a significant risk of HIV transmission for oral sex.
Getting cum in your mouth increases the risk. Neither spitting it out nor swallowing seems to make it less or more risky, it’s the length of time it's in your mouth that’s important (the shorter the better).
Looking after your mouth will reduce the risk for oral sex. The likelihood of oral HIV transmission increases if you have cuts, ulcers or abrasions in your mouth, a sore throat, tonsillitis or gum disease. This is because they create entry points into your blood stream. Flossing or vigorous brushing before sex can also break the skin on your gums.

Sexy Sex Study!!!

Hey check out this fun, sexy, interactive sex study via MANHUNT! Complete with fun surprising statistics you may not have known about gay/bi sex and who's doing what and to whom and how often...I promise you wont be disappointed! Check out the interactive site here and see what the buzz is about, enjoy!!!

Check it out

Throat cancer associated with HPV on the rise

via San Francisco Chronicle, By Kathryn Roethel

When most people think of throat or oral cancers, they probably believe they are not at risk unless they are smokers or heavy drinkers. But that's not necessarily the case. According to Bay Area doctors and a new national study, the incidence of tobacco- and alcohol-related throat cancers is down. On the rise is another type of throat cancer for which more Americans may be at risk - one associated with the sexually transmitted human
papillomavirus commonly known for causing cervical cancer in women.

Dr. Michael Kaplan, chief of head and neck surgery at Stanford University Medical Center, said he sees about 125 new cases of oral and throat cancer each year, and "the vast majority" are cases associated with HPV. Perhaps more surprising, this type of cancer is much more common in men than in women.

Kaplan's experience correlates with a National Cancer Institute study released in June at the American Society of Clinical Oncology's annual scientific meeting. In it, researchers found that throat and oral cancers linked to HPV increased more than 200 percent between 1988 and 2004 - from 0.8 occurrences per 100,000 people to 2.8 per 100,000.

In the same time period, throat and oral cancers related to tobacco and alcohol use were down 50 percent, from 2 to 1 case per 100,000 people.

Read more.

Peter, I am having a hard time cumming. Help!

 
Peter Pointers is Chicago's most trusted source for gay, sexy, healthy info with an all-access pass to nationally known health and wellness experts. Go ahead, ask Peter for Pointers. Visit his page on the LifeLube site and read answers to commonly asked questions too.

Q:Why is it that, myself as a gay man, I can not have an orgasm while receiving oral sex and during anal sex it takes a really long time for me to cum?

A: Thank you very much for your question.  I appreciate that you are looking into this situation that seems to be causing you a bit of frustration. 

I’d like to start by saying that the ways our bodies behave sexually often varies greatly from person to person. So, when talking about topics like the amount of time it takes to cum, you should know that It varies for each person and that many people experience similar problems of not being able to come as quickly as they want to or at all. However, there are some things that we do want to consider.

One difficulty with sexual dysfunctions, aside from the obvious impact it can have on your sex life, is that there are a lot of factors that go into sex and orgasm. As the Mayo Clinic tells us, "male sexual arousal is a complex process involving the brain, hormones, emotions, nerves, muscles and blood vessels.” Any glitch in those systems can throw things off and lead to problems in performance.

So, this means that there could be something physical, something medical, or something psychological causing you to have trouble maintaining erections. It then become a matter of trying to eliminate possibilities until something works. Working with a urologist, you could look into physical and medical issues that may be the culprit. Also, talking with a therapist or someone specializing in sexual performance might help with the more psychological side.

Brian Rzepczynski, LCSW, MSW, a couples counselor, a sex therapist, and relationship coach (http://thegaylovecoach.com) says to check with a doctor first, “more often than not these cases tend to be psychological in nature, but inability to climax can also be linked to medication side-effects, aging, or neurobiological issues. If everything checks out ok, it’s more than likely rooted in stress and anxiety or some kind of emotional block.”

Dr. Braden Berkey, Psy.D., the Director of the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Institute at the Center on Halsted and a private practice psychologist, has weighed in on sexual struggles before. According to him, if it is something more brain-related, you may be thinking way too much during sex. Sometimes we just get into a state of mind that we can't seem to shake every time we try having sex.

The trick is to take the focus off the destination and enjoy the journey.

You can do that a number of ways but it all comes down to letting your mind go. Take a break from the mindset of trying to cum – and try not to think about how you are trying not to think about cumming (this is easier said than done, of course). Start with massages, staying focused on the sensations you are experiencing - accepting them as they come without evaluating them. As you move into foreplay and sex, watch for any critical or distracting thoughts seeping in. It will take time to re-train your brain to turn off, so be patient.

If those tips don’t work, and it is causing you enough distress, you may want to bring in a professional. Beyond medical intervention, it is also possible that there are deeper issues attached to ejaculating. If this is the case, it may take more work. Exploring this with a well trained and understanding therapist may be worth the time.

For more reading on the clinical information about this issue, click here.


Be well,
Peter Pointers
peterpointers@lifelube.org
www.lifelube.org/experts.php

Is semen better than zoloft?

Controversial Ideas in Two Parts: Does Semen Act As an Antidepressant to the Recipient?

Gallup’s team tried to look at the effects of semen on gay men who were having unprotected anal sex but could not continue, because almost all of the study participants were ingesting semen during oral sex.


via POPSCI, by Jennifer Abbasi

Here is an excerpt from Part 1 of this commentary:

Back in 2002, psychologists at the State University of New York at Albany published a study in the Archives of Sexual Behavior looking at the potential role of semen in alleviating depression in women. The researchers presented evidence supporting an earlier hypothesis that the hormones in semen have a mood-boosting effect on women. For any woman who has had sex -- and enjoyed it -- this may not come as a huge surprise.

Cut to this past February. Lazar Greenfield, the incoming president of the American College of Surgeons (ACS), wrote a short Valentine's Day-themed editorial about mating in Surgery News. In it, he discussed the sex lives of fruit flies, rotifers and humans. He cited the SUNY Albany study before concluding: "So there's a deeper bond between men and women than St. Valentine would have suspected, and now we know there's a better gift for that day than chocolates." That gift, of course, being semen.

Greenfield's editorial sparked a controversy among ACS members, many of whom felt it was blatantly sexist. In response to the flap, Greenfield -- a highly respected retired professor at the University of Michigan with a reputation for supporting women in surgery -- apologized and stepped down from his post as editor of Surgery News; two weeks ago, as the controversy continued, he also resigned from his position at the College. In an interview with the Detroit Free Press Greenfield said, "The editorial was a review of what I thought was some fascinating new findings related to semen, and the way in which nature is trying to promote a stronger bond between men and women."

Read the rest of Part 1.


This is an excerpt from Part 2 of this commentary:

Many of you quite reasonably questioned whether the mood-boosting properties of semen could apply to other types of sex than vaginal. For now, that’s an open question, as Gallup says no studies have been conducted on the anti-depressant properties of semen received by women or men during oral or anal sex.

Gallup’s team tried to look at the effects of semen on gay men who were having unprotected anal sex but could not continue, because almost all of the study participants were ingesting semen during oral sex, which could have confounded the results. (An interesting note: The researchers did not ask the women in the 2002 study whether or not they were engaging in oral sex. Future studies should rectify that, if you ask me.)

Despite the lack of direct research, Gallup said he “wouldn’t be a bit surprised” if oral and anal sex provided a mood boost. “There’s no guarantee that all of the ingredients in semen will survive the digestion process and stomach acid, which could conceivably change some of the semen chemistry. But given what we know about birth control pills, most of the hormones should survive.” Regarding anal sex, he added: “My guess would be that the chemicals in semen would be absorbed through the lining of the colon.”

Here’s some related research that’s worth mentioning:

“There’s some evidence that gay males following anal intercourse will go out of their way to try to retain the semen for extended periods of time, which suggests psychotropic effects,” Gallup says. (I wonder whether the “sexiness” quotient of having your partner’s semen inside you might be another, perhaps complimentary, explanation.)

Read the rest, and Part 2.

Ya don't sssay: Gay Blowjobs for Straight Men = Less Cancer?

oh if only

via BSNBC, by Benderson Hoover (great name, eh?)

Heterosexual men who are regularly fellated by homosexual men have a lower risk of developing prostate and testicular cancer, a research study has found.

The "Study On The General Health Benefits Of One-Way Gay Fellatio" was spearheaded by University of Montana Sexual & Liberal Studies research fellow Dr. Wendel Jones, and will be published in the upcoming Spring issue of the Men's Journal Of Health & Gender. It was initially met with jeers and snickering when first proposed in 2005, but Jones persevered to get funding, and was finally able to get it off the ground a year later.

Conducted over a period of four years, the research involved 600 men aged 23 to 54 who exclusively identify as heterosexual and enjoy penetrative vaginal sex with women. They were divided into two groups: one received oral sex on a daily basis from a team of experienced homosexual men, while the other did not. At the end of the study, all 600 were screened for prostate and testicular cancer. Eight tested positive for prostate cancer; six for testicular. All fourteen were from the group that did not get serviced orally by gay men.

Read the rest.

Britannia Rules - Better Sex for Gay Men, Courtesy of the Brits

MOISTURE!

Ah, if we could only pull things like this off in the U.S.

Be sure to check out this hot and helpful guide- kinda like a 2010 Joy of Gay Sex. Ways to make wanking, fucking, sucking all the better, with eye candies along the way.

Better Sex for Gay Men, thanks to GMFA, the Gay Men's Health Charity. Yes, yes, yes!

Sucking, getting sucked - where does HIV fit in?

Can you get HIV from oral sex?

LifeLube has talked about oral sex many, many times.  And our lovely Peter Pointers has also answered this very, very common question.

And we're doing it again - since it has reappeared in some of our circles - by sharing some great info from the UK's GMFA.

Excerpt:

The reason that oral sex is so much safer than getting fucked is that the throat is not as vulnerable to infection as the arse is. Saliva has properties that can disable some infections, including HIV, and so there needs to be quite a lot of HIV present for infection to take place. Also, the mouth and throat are not as efficient at absorbing liquids into the bloodstream as the lining of the arse is. Even if you swallow cum, any HIV that may be there will usually be killed by the strong acids in your stomach. 

Read the whole item.

Steers yes. Queers - and their society-destroying ways - HELL NO

TX GOP platform: Re-criminalize sodomy, make gay marriage a felony

 We believe that the practice of homosexuality tears at the fabric of society, contributes to the breakdown of the family unit, and leads to the spread of dangerous, communicable diseases. Homosexual behavior is contrary to the fundamental, unchanging truths that have been ordained by God, recognized by our country’s founders, and shared by the majority of Texans. 

via the raw story by Stephen C. Webster

Texas Republicans are a conservative lot. Still, it's difficult to imagine mainstream GOP voters demanding their neighbors be jailed for engaging in a little hanky-panky behind closed doors.

Nevertheless, the state's Republican party has voted on a platform [PDF link] by which their candidates will stand, and it includes the reinstatement of laws banning sodomy: otherwise known as oral and anal sex.

The party's platform also seeks to make gay marriage a felony offense, which may be confusing to most given that the state does not sanction or recognize same sex marriages, meaning any such ceremony conducted does not bear the weight of law. Whether this means the GOP wants gay couples married in other states to be pursued through Texas as dangerous criminals, the party did not specify.

Read the rest. 

Sponge-worthiness

Another wonderful website recommendation

Check out this great site from Terrence Higgins Trust featuring tips/info on safe/safer sex and ways to mitigate risk with and without condoms.

Topics covered include:

   
* HIV
    
* Fucking
   
* Condoms and lube
    
* Other Sex
   
* PEP
    
* Poppers
 
Cum ‘on him, not in him’ is better.Fewer men means less risk... There’s less risk if you cut down on unprotected fucking or have other kinds of sex instead... Less risk if you take it easy and use lots of lube...

Another reason to love Iowa...

Public Sex Not Illegal in Parts of Iowa

via Carnal Nation

What would you do if while hiking in the woods, you came across two naked men having sex? Would you be offended? Would you report the incident to the police? This happened to Tony Brewer in the Johnson County wildlife preserve in Iowa. He was offended by the sight of the two men engaging in oral sex and dutifully reported it to the Johnson County Sheriff. In the past, other concerned citizens have also reported incidents of indecent exposure in the park, ranging from nude sunbathing to full-on sexual encounters. But it seems that law enforcement isn't doing anything about it—or can't.

According to Johnson County Sheriff Lonny Pulkrabek, being nude or even having sex in the public park doesn't necessarily break any state laws on obscenity. Like so much else in the legal world, the crime (if any) comes down to intent. Iowa law is quite clear that in order for an incident to be considered a misdemeanor, not only does the witness need to be offended but the 'offender' must also derive some kind of sexual satisfaction from causing the offense. "It's a difficult thing to investigate," said Pulkrabek. "You have to find that specific intent."

News crews have recently gone into the woods to investigate. They encountered some naked men who claimed to be sunbathing. They also found condom wrappers, used condoms, tissues, and even some underwear discarded in the brush. It's clear that the Johnson County wildlife preserve is a popular cruising area, but what should be done about it? Although Sheriff Pulkrabek says that all complaints are investigated, he does note, "The fact of the matter is, people have been going to remote areas and having sex since the beginning of time." Sex in nature is the tradition of the Garden of Eden as well as the scary, transgressive setting of most fairy tales. It's not for public consumption or spectacle; that's why it happens in the wild. In this light, Iowa's law seems eminently reasonable. However, all that litter is utterly criminal. Come on, boys, clean up after yourselves.

Why a 'Just Use Condoms (and Now Shut Up)' strategy won't work (for everyone)

via Fridae, by Jan Wijngaarden

Fridae's Men’s Sexual Health columnist Jan Wijngaarden says simplistic slogans about condom usage and nothing else are not sufficient; gay men need to understand how HIV transmission works - in all its detail.

Frankly, I have been quite amused by the fierce reactions to my previous columns that dealt with sexual risk reduction for gay men. I learned there are a huge number of intolerant queens out there, who not only loudly oppose views that differ from their own - which is fine with me - but who do so by trying to undermine the credibility of the person airing these views - me, that is - using rather nasty (also quite funny sometimes) personal attacks. Many of these people tend to see sex as something harmful, dirty and risky. It should be stated here - there is no inherent harm in gay sex - but there is harm in HIV.

Many of the people responding to the columns seemed upset that I was discussing details of risk reduction strategies - making risk reduction more complex and varied, trying to make people think about different options for reducing risks for HIV in incremental steps, rather than promoting 'One Message / One Strategy Fits All'.

Instead, they want me to stick to their own view on HIV prevention, which is: JUST USE CONDOMS ALWAYS (AND NOW SHUT UP). I decided to honour these people, bestowing them the title of Condom Queens.

Read the rest.

Let's all start sucking around

via Fridae, by Jan Wijngaarden

Fridae’s Men’s Sexual Health columnist Jan Wijngaarden wonders why oral sex has not been as widely recommended as a 'safer option' given that it has been found to be of much lower risk compared to anal sex.

A while ago, a friend of mine, who is around 55 years old and from Europe, sadly looked back on his life during a birthday dinner. He said that none of his (gay) friends from when he was in his twenties and thirties was alive to celebrate his birthday with him. They had all died - most of them, by far, died of AIDS.

I was intrigued. Why did he survive? Was he immune, or what? Or was he the only one who used condoms? When we were alone, after the dinner was finished, I decided to ask him.

He said: "Condoms? Nobody used them at that time. It was true; I had syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia several times, but those could be treated easily. That was not it, for sure."

So, what then? He answered: "It is the fact that I HATE anal sex which must have saved my life!"

It is an interesting conclusion, with a lot of truth in it. Anal intercourse is the sexual behaviour which is - by far - most likely to transmit HIV among gay men (and - much less well known - maybe among some heterosexuals, too).

Read the rest.

Super Spit!

Some HIV-negative men in long term relationships with HIV-positive men have an antibody response in saliva which may inhibit HIV infection, report Swedish researchers in an article published online ahead of print in AIDS. This is the first time that such a response has been described in saliva, and may help explain why infection through oral sex is somewhat infrequently reported even in serodiscordant couples.

While it is well established that while HIV infection during fellatio and other types of oral sex can and does happen, the number of infections that can be attributed to oral sex is relatively small in comparison with the number of times that unprotected oral sex is practiced. One reason is that saliva contains enzymes which partially inhibit HIV infection.

Read the rest on Aidsmap.

Resolve to Have More Sex!

Highlights from the extra.ca article - "Need a new resolution? Have more sex"


"People make all sorts of resolutions about their bodies and their lives but neglect sex," laments Brenda Kerber, commenting on North America's annual tradition of declaring self-improvement wishes.

..."I love the idea of people putting effort into sex," gushes Edmonton-based Dr Brian Parker, a clinical sexologist and sex educator, "because people forget that sex takes work."

...According to Babeland, a company that "sells sex toys to a passionate world," vibrators are good on any number of male body parts including "on the perineum (the skin between the anus and the balls)," which the Babeland website promises will "send a buzz toward the prostate, a much-overlooked male erogenous zone." Speaking of the prostate, Kerber notes sex is a great way to achieve a popular New Year's resolution towards better health. "Regular ejaculation reduces the risk of prostate cancer," she says, adding that for everybody, sex releases endorphins that make people feel better while reducing stress.

...Parker suggests people try things that they would not normally do. "People get into a sexual routine, products can help break the monotony," he says. Introducing toys, props and objects like whips, feathers and even condoms into sex can create new and exciting dynamics. He suggests guys can jerk off while wearing or smelling a condom, and they can rip up a condom and use the base of it as a cock ring. All of which eroticizes the condom and makes it a sexual toy on a person's own terms rather than as prescribed by health and government officials.

Read the whole thing.

Oral sex risk very low, but not zero, concludes systematic review

The risk of HIV transmission during oral sex is very low, but not zero, conclude researchers from Imperial College and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in the December 2008 issue of the International Journal of Epidemiology. The researchers attempted to identify all the relevant observational studies on the topic, but found that given the lack of data, it would be inappropriate to make summary estimates for the transmission risk through oral sex...

"...The fact that infected study participants with solely this exposure have remained difficult to identify may suggest that indeed the contribution of orogenital intercourse to HIV incidence remains low."

Read the whole article on Aidsmap.

NYC Bathhouses: Safe Sex Allowed

"Being able to do this type of work in venues where people are
actually congregating is invaluable."

New York City's Prevention Planning Group endorsed changes to a state code that regulates sex clubs and bathhouses that would allow sex with condoms in those businesses and said that such businesses are "important sites for HIV/STD/harm reduction interventions."

With 29 members in favor, none opposed, and two abstaining, the 50-member group, which advises the city on HIV prevention initiatives, backed a proposal from the Commercial Sex Venues Coalition that wants to change the 1985 code from its current ban in businesses on oral, anal and vaginal sex, with or without a condom, to prohibitions that are "directed specifically towards unprotected sexual activity," a coalition briefing paper said.

Read the rest in Gay City News.

Syphilis in Chicago

Click GetTestedChicago for more info on syphilis.
Listen to the "Sex on the Superhighway" podcast about cruising on the internet with LifeLube and the Feast of Fools.
Send an anonymous, confidential e-mail notifying your partners that they have been exposed to a sexually transmitted disease.

Syphilis on rise among men with same-sex partners

Study: Sex partners often found online

By Deborah L. Shelton | Chicago Tribune reporter

Posted July 14, 2008

Men who have sex with men are more likely to turn to the Internet to find sex partners than meet them at bars or clubs, according to a new report by the Chicago Department of Public Health.

The trend is significant because health experts believe Internet hookups are helping to fuel a syphilis epidemic among men with same-sex partners.

The report was based on confidential interviews conducted as part of the health department's routine disease-surveillance activities. It was the first time more men said they met sex partners online than in places such as bars, said Dr. William Wong, medical director of the health department's division of sexually transmitted disease, HIV and AIDS.

The Internet is not the cause of the upsurge in infectious syphilis cases among men who have sex with men, but it increases the chances of disease transmission, said Deborah Levine, executive director of the Oakland, Calif.-based Internet Sexuality Information Services, a non-profit group that develops Internet technologies to prevent the spread of sexually transmitted diseases.

"If you go to a bar in a night, there might be 200 or 300 people there," Levine said. "You can go on multiple Web sites in a night and potentially meet thousands of people. The speed and sheer numbers allow for more possibilities for passing around infections."

In 1999, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention launched a national plan to eliminate infectious syphilis from the United States. But even as rates among heterosexuals have dropped dramatically, sinking to a historic low, rates among men who have sex with men have soared.

The shift has set back local and national health campaigns aimed at preventing new cases of the disease.

The number of syphilis cases in Chicago hovered around 300 annually for about a decade. Until 2001, most of the cases were among heterosexual men and women.

Then the trend shifted. Last year 331 syphilis cases were reported in Chicago-71 percent of them among men with same-sex partners.

Nationally, about 36,000 cases were reported in 2006.

Syphilis is easily treated with penicillin in its early stages. Untreated, it can damage internal organs, including the brain, nerves, eyes, heart, blood vessels, liver, bones and joints.

According to the health department survey, 34 percent of men diagnosed with syphilis last year at city health department STD clinics said they met their sex partners on the Internet, Wong said. That compared with 33 percent of men who said they met their sex partners at bars or clubs.

"Prevention does work, and the reductions over the last 10 years among women and the heterosexual community are an important advance," Wong said. "We are making progress. But syphilis is still around and there's still work to be done."

One concern is the increasing number of people diagnosed with syphilis who also are HIV-infected. Among heterosexuals diagnosed with syphilis at city clinics four years ago, 6 percent were infected with HIV. Last year it was 15 percent.

The majority of men diagnosed with syphilis at Howard Brown Health Center already are HIV-infected or finding out about their HIV infection at the same time of their diagnosis, said Daniel Pohl, the health center's manager of disease-intervention services.

Unprotected oral sex is mistakenly considered safe, but it can be risky in the case of syphilis if there are sores on the genitals or in the mouth, Pohl said.

"They think casual oral sex won't have repercussions," he said. "But with syphilis, it can."

Though the Internet has created new challenges, it also offers opportunities for intervention, Wong said.

The National Coalition of STD Directors published national guidelines on Internet-based interventions to help health departments use the Web in outreach activities. [Read the related LifeLube interview with one of the authors of those guidelines - Stephan Adelson]

The Chicago health department has tried different strategies-from beefing up its Web site with information about syphilis, to posting banner ads on other Web sites and launching a Web site called inSPOT, which is run in partnership with Internet Sexuality Information Services.

The site combines the concept of an electronic greeting card with information about STDs.

Men can send an anonymous, confidential e-mail notifying their partners that they have been exposed to a sexually transmitted disease.

Click GetTestedChicago for more info on syphilis.

Listen to the "Sex on the Superhighway" podcast about cruising on the internet with LifeLube and the Feast of Fools.

Q: What are ways to reduce my risk for HIV/STDs?

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Q: Can I get STDs other than HIV from oral sex?

A: While oral sex is relatively safe with regard to HIV, what's important is that other STDs like syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia and herpes are definitely transmitted through oral sex. However, many of these infections are easily diagnosed with simple tests and can be treated with available medications. Syphilis, in particular, is something to be aware of and get tested for: it's debilitating down the road, and it's affecting the Chicago area pretty prominently. If your partner has a single, small, painless sore (something that looks like a cold sore), avoid having oral sex with him.

So... Enjoy oral sex and get regular check-ups. A good check-up includes throat testing for gonorrhea, rectal testing for gonorrhea and chlamydia, urine testing for gonorrhea and chlamydia and blood tests for herpes, syphilis and HIV.


[thanks to Howard Brown Health Center for this info]